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Genetic Discrimination - 06/03/2012

On 6th March, 2012 the Centre for Disability Law and Policy organised a seminar in the European Parliament, Brussels in conjunction with the European Disability Forum on the topic 'Genetic Discrimination - Transatlantic Perspectives on the Case for a European Level Legal Response'. The Seminar was hosted by Marian Harkin, MEP, and Phil Prendergast, MEP.
The purpose of this event was to bring together key stakeholders in the area to examine and further highlight the case for a European level legal and policy response to protect the privacy of genetic information and to prevent the discriminatory use of genetic information, particularly in the employment and insurance contexts.

The event highlighted the issues of genetic discrimination and genetic privacy on a European forum. It endeavoured to raise awareness of the issues to the key European Institutions in Brussels, which was an important and necessary step towards introducing reform in the area and taking the opportunity to make recommendations for legal intervention. The practical impact of this seminar is that it made a meaningful contribution towards framing the necessary reform in this area – involving stakeholders who will be contributing towards drafting, producing and implementing such a response.

There was also be a roundtable discussion composed of J Patrick Clarke (member of European Disability Forum Executive Committee/ President, Down Syndrome Ireland), Marian Harkin (Member of the European Parliament) and Peter Hustinx, (European Data Protection Supervisor), and Dima Yared (Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights) discussing the different perspectives for the way forward.